May 23, 2016
Sticky Geranium
From “Montana.plant-life.org”:
Medicinal Uses:
The whole plant is astringent, salve and has agents that check bleeding by contracting blood vessels. Herbalists have used geranium roots to stop bleeding and to treat sores and chapped lips. It was used medicinally by the Blackfoot Indians among others. They used an infusion from this plant to treat diarrhea and gastric upset and urinary irritations. A gargle was used in the treatment of sore throats. The root of this plant is astringent and was dried and powdered and used by Native Americans to stop external bleeding. An infusion of the leaves or the roots has been used as a wash for sore eyes.
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Not only pretty, but practical too.
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Comment by wordsfromanneli — May 23, 2016 @ 11:32 am
Yes. This one seems to be especially useful although the big caution is that its leaves resemble those of mountain monkshood which is very toxic.
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Comment by montucky — May 23, 2016 @ 11:36 am
I think that for every good plant (or mushroom) there is a look-alike that you have to be careful of. It’s not for amateurs, that’s for sure.
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Comment by wordsfromanneli — May 23, 2016 @ 1:29 pm
Reminds me of the old story about an earlier explorer who never returned from an expedition in Africa: It wasn’t known if he ate something that disagreed with him or if something he disagreed with ate him.
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Comment by montucky — May 23, 2016 @ 1:34 pm
Ha ha! Good one.
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Comment by wordsfromanneli — May 23, 2016 @ 1:37 pm
So beautiful! What a gorgeous colour. I would love to know where the wisdom first came from, as to what uses could be made of flowers, their leaves and roots.
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Comment by Jo Woolf — May 23, 2016 @ 12:14 pm
That would be very interesting, although I’m sure those origins were never recorded. Some seem to be very accurate (as this one appears to be), others not so much. I always cringe when I think about the toxic ones.
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Comment by montucky — May 23, 2016 @ 12:23 pm
It sounds much like our wild geranium but I know that it isn’t. It sure is pretty!
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Comment by New Hampshire Garden Solutions — May 23, 2016 @ 3:34 pm
Yes, this species is strictly a western one.
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Comment by montucky — May 23, 2016 @ 8:09 pm
A very attractive flower, particularly the colour.
It seems a shame that most of the western world have lost the craft of making herbal medicine from nature in favour of synthetic ingredients produced by the large Pharmaceutical companies. The plants extracts or synthetic ingredients are often toxic to the body (without the other parts of the plants to complement the therapeutic alkaloids). Just thinking of Aspirin as a prime example. We could learn a lot from indigenous peoples of the world.
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Comment by Vicki — May 23, 2016 @ 6:12 pm
I take very little medicine of any kind, but there are several natural plants that I use. I’m not very knowledgeable though.
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Comment by montucky — May 23, 2016 @ 8:10 pm
One doesn’t need to know a lot to treat some basic cuts, bruises or sprains etc – just some tried and trusted cures/treatments works well enough. I’ve forgotten most of what I’ve learned about Herbal Medicine and Aromatherapy, massage (and a little reflexology) in the early 1990s, but as long as I’ve got Arnica cream, pure essential oil of Lavender/Eucalyptus and Lemon, plus Bach’s Rescue remedy and a particularly good vitamin E cream, I’m good to go, Terry. I do use a lot of fresh mint, Italian parsley and Coriander (Cilantro) in salads and cooking though. Rosemary, fresh ginger and garlic appear regularly on my menu. Insects have eaten all my sage plant though.
Many years ago, I read somewhere that in WWII in the field hospitals when they ran out of supplies, they would use fresh garlic and dried moss.
Makes you wonder doesn’t it.
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Comment by Vicki — May 23, 2016 @ 9:02 pm
I use a tincture of Arnica and also a cream for aching muscles and tincture of propolis on cuts.
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Comment by montucky — May 23, 2016 @ 9:11 pm
Seems like a good thing to have around, and pretty, too.
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Comment by Candace — May 24, 2016 @ 4:15 pm
Pretty and useful and the price is right. They really stand out on a hillside.
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Comment by montucky — May 24, 2016 @ 4:52 pm
Somehow, I landed on a page that mentioned that this geranium is a protocarnivorous plant — that is, it traps insects, etc., but doesn’t digest them or otherwise use them for nourishment. It’s the “sticky” part of the plant that makes it possible. Such a pretty face, and such a tricky disposition!
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Comment by shoreacres — May 24, 2016 @ 7:37 pm
I didn’t realize that about them.
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Comment by montucky — May 24, 2016 @ 9:07 pm
Valuable info and beautiful flower.
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Comment by Sartenada — May 25, 2016 @ 11:06 pm
They are indeed!
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Comment by montucky — May 26, 2016 @ 9:05 am